The Raspberry Pi is a great little cheap computer, but it doesn't have a lot of interfacing options to connect external peripherals. If you want a low-footprint solution that looks great sitting on the Raspberry Pi itself, DIYer Joe Walnes outlines how to make the "Pi Crust" breakout board.

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Walnes' design is pretty simple and sits inside the surface area of the Raspberry Pi itself. It adds a wide variety of i/o options provided you're willing to do a little soldering. You order a custom PCB (which Walnes provides the layout file for), and a few other parts amounting to less than $20. Once you've got it running, the Pi Crust works with any low-level peripheral, which means you can expand your DIY electronics projects beyond the standard i/o of the Raspberry Pi. Head over to the Pi Crust main page for a list of parts and directions.